The issue was raised on this forum some time back by a then new member who is no longer here and who was over the moon in his enthusiasm of high dose pepper (capsicain) supplements in defeating and curing his prostate cancer. I believe that it was discovered the "new member" was deeply involved with a "doctor" in the preparation and distribution of those very same pepper supplements. My preference would be to see parasites like them have those same raw habanero chillies shoved right up their individual ****. This is not to say though that capsicain may not have some benefit regarding PCa. I remember seeing some evidence that suggested that this was indeed the case.Bill1/05 PSA----2.9 3/06-----3.2 3/07-------4.1 5/07------3.9 All negative DREsAged 59 when diagnosedBiopsy 6/07----4 of 10 cores positive for Adenocarcinoma-------bummer!Core 1 <5%, core 2----50%, core 3----60%, core 4----50%Biopsy Pathologist's comment:Gleason 4+3=7 (80% grade 4) Stage T2cNeither extracapsular nor perineural invasion is identified CT scan and Bone scan show no evidence of metastasesDa Vinci RP Aug 10th 2007Post-op pathology:Positive for perineural invasion and 1 small focal extensionNegative at surgical margins, negative node and negative vesicle involvementSome 4+4=8 identified ........upgraded to Gleason 8PSA Oct 07 <0.1 undetectablePSA Jan 08 <0.1 undetectablePSA April 08 <0.1 undetectable

cvc,There was an event about that here. I was the moderator that had the "pepper posters" booted here. Now that I am not a moderator I can lend my unofficial two cents worth. On a hunch, I did some background checking. The 'urologist' was booted from here shortly before he was charged in an unrelated event (multiple charges). That doesn't sound like my urologist. He, and the original poster jackcc seems to refer to appeared teamed up, at several sites, and they both disappeared on the blogs at the end of March. BTW the urologist was starting a supplements company as he stated at his "personal" blog, that also stopped at this timeframe. If you search that urologist's name or that urology center he worked at, and search virtually any other urologists or centers that you know are valid, you have to wonder why he has no presence other than his own site. If I search my urologists, oncologists, or surgeons, some of the searches result in hundreds of pages of info about them.

It caused such a stir, in some PC forums ~ this one included, that I decided to write the authors of the study commonly referred to. The study was by UCLA and Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. It was only in rats. Capsaicin was not consumed in pill or edible form but rather processed carefully and injected to avoid digestive track damage and deliver the full effects. And it was in rats. There were side effects in the study, it has not been approved for use in humans by the FDA. There is some talk about it becoming a study, but the early returns are that it is not effective as other treatment options to slow PC cancer growth. I believe you are reading about an individual who claimed to have been cured by capsaicin because his PSA dropped a few decimal points. All I can say is "Huh"?

Nothing taboo about it jackcc. They were booted off several sites for a good reason. You can do your own homework.

Personally, I am very glad I had these two booted before anyone here started slamming this unproven and potentially dangerous supplement.

Hi cvc. My husband, Pete, has been taking capsacin in pill form every day....three times a day....After his cancer came back two years ago after Radiation seeds, and lupron. he had salvage surgery. His PSA was .2 after the surgery, ....it rose to .49 and then .52 and then he discovered the capsacin. He takes 38,000 units...not mg of it daily, plus ginger pills for the stomach. The psa has lowered and has stayed at .42 for six months. His doctor says go ahead and take it...He also takes Vitamin D 2,000 mgs......really really important...Vitamin D is a hormone not a vitamin. and also pomegranite juice, cranberry juice, and walnuts and flax seed. We are trying!! Good luck diHusband Petedx Jan 2001 age 67 gleason 4 + 3 PSA 16.5 seed implant and conformal radiation Lupron from Jan 2001 to Jan20022005 Dec PSA began to rise from .5 to 8 within 6 monthsSalvage surgery at MSK 9/06Fistula operation 2/07 MSKMany cystoscopies and ER visits with stricturescatheter for one year....Catheter taken out Sept 07..Total Incontinence since then....PSA .52 3/07In line for AUS possibly in Sept 08

Hi Di,No mean spirit intended, but I don't think we have any idea if the capsaicin did anything at all based on your story. As you said Pete is taking several supplements. I too take high dose Vitamin D as there is sound studies that it can steady PSA for a while, and it helps counter the side effects of Lupron. Omega 3's are also showing promise, but lately I've been reading that it's better in dietary control than supplementation. The study on Capsaicin, dates March 15, 2006 by UCLA/Cedars Sinai and a Japanese researcher, has not been updated in quite some time. The reason for that, I found out, is because of what I mentioned above. While that study does not say how the Capsaicin was administered, you can contact Cedars Sinai and they will respond as to why the study failed to progessed to the next phase.

I certainly hope for the best with your husband. I am sorry to see that he has had difficulty like he has with treatments. I would hope that capsaicin was a cure, but it isn't according to the researchers who wrote the report.

After I got PCa, I studied and studied all about the supplements and how diet co Puld be a beneficial factor in keeping PCa at bay. This included a study of flax, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.

The only fairly good evidence I found with a couple of beginning scientific studies, had to do with the benefit of ingesting pomegranate juice... 8 ounces per day. According to the studies, pure pomegranate juice slowed the growth of or killed cancer cells in mice and slowed the growth in humans. The scientific community is continuing to study the effect.

I drink 8oz on occasion. I try to drink it each day, but I sometimes forget. I buy it at Costco to same some $.

Flax and flax oil seemed to have some risks associated with it. Ingesting soy for fighting PCa has been debunked. Ingesting tomatoes for fighting PCa has been debunked. However, there have been recent studies showing a benefit ingesting broccoli.

I think there are a lot of double-blind studies that need to occur before I would solely rely on one of these "remedies."

There are a lot of so called remedies and cures out there most of which cannot be proven or shown to have any effect on PCa. However this is my take on it. Since diagnosis and treatment I have changed my diet regime for what I regard as the better. I used to eat what may be thought as the typical Western diet. Now instead, I eat a lot of vegetables, among them a lot of cauliflower and broccoli. I also eat a lot of fruit (about 7-8 pieces a day). Breakfast cereals have soy milk on them instead of dairy. I have always been a fairly heavy tea drinker and have now swapped over to green tea sweetened with honey instead of my traditional black with milk. Rather than soft drink (pop) and processed fruit juices I now drink quite a bit of tomato soup and quite a bit of pumpkin soup as well as a half litre of pomegranate juice a day. Meat is virtually confined to chicken and fish. Now psychosomatic or fact, but I feel much better in myself with more bounce and vigour that I've had for quite a few years. Whether the diet has any effect on PCa ( I would be most appreciative if it did) is not my prime motivator in consuming these things, but rather the feeling of well-being that has resulted. It is strange but after a while your tastes preferences definitely change and these become the foods you look for rather than the high fat, high sugar, high salt foods you used to prefer.Bill1/05 PSA----2.9 3/06-----3.2 3/07-------4.1 5/07------3.9 All negative DREsAged 59 when diagnosedBiopsy 6/07----4 of 10 cores positive for Adenocarcinoma-------bummer!Core 1 <5%, core 2----50%, core 3----60%, core 4----50%Biopsy Pathologist's comment:Gleason 4+3=7 (80% grade 4) Stage T2cNeither extracapsular nor perineural invasion is identified CT scan and Bone scan show no evidence of metastasesDa Vinci RP Aug 10th 2007Post-op pathology:Positive for perineural invasion and 1 small focal extensionNegative at surgical margins, negative node and negative vesicle involvementSome 4+4=8 identified ........upgraded to Gleason 8PSA Oct 07 <0.1 undetectablePSA Jan 08 <0.1 undetectablePSA April 08 <0.1 undetectable

Absolutely great post, Bill. As long as people taking their "feel good" supplement don't push upon others that they have a cure... Simply because they don't. Do what you feel good with. But be careful. Evidence clearly shows most, almost all, elevated amounts of supplements do more harm than good. In the perfect world, all supplements will be tested and confirmed. That's not required of the supplement industry.

My oncologist suggests a heart healthy diet supplemented by Vitamin D and controlled levels of calcium. But I do more than that. I want to think something I can safely do might help.

I agree with all of the above. We are just doing the best we can....We have always eaten a healthy diet with a variety of foods....little fat and no fried food, however, for the past five years I have really tried to load up the fruits and vegetables for Pete and also because he is a chemist he is always reading the studies and has been taking green tea and pomegranite, and as I mentioned before the capsacin pills. It is interesting to hear about the controversy over it. We didnt know that, but anyway, nothing is proven and if he thinks it is helping....THAT is a help in itself...

Also very important is what Selmer and bill said about our next generation. We have two sons in their thirties, and have kept them informed of studies etc....Peter's father had Pca we discovered after he had passed away. They didnt talk about it when he was dx and we never knew he had it...He died at 95 by the way.. He probably had a much less agressive cancer than Pete. He was born in Greece in 1899, and came to the US when he was fifteen years old..He always ate an outstanding diet of many many vegetables and little red meat...mostly fish....He grew tomatoes and a big garden up until age 90. He had orange and lemon trees and ate lots of raisins and figs...He also was in the sun every day....He was a mailman delivering mail outside for years, and when he retired at 65 moved to FL and gardened and fished every day. I think that is what held the cancer at bay.. The vitamin D is so important for so many many things. I believe we all need to be taking extra D....We have seen many studies now that are saying it is vital for brain development in everyone, plus many cancers and other diseases are associated with lack of it etc. People have been so worried about skin cancer, that they think the sun is harmful. That I dont think you will find controversy in.... I enjoy reading all of your very interesting posts, and I think everyone says an important thing: We must be aware of diet and new studies, and also keep positive and enjoy our lives. There are still many wondrous things to enjoy every day....We are waiting for our 6th grandchild to be born in a few days! Be well and peaceful! DiHusband Petedx Jan 2001 age 67 gleason 4 + 3 PSA 16.5 seed implant and conformal radiation Lupron from Jan 2001 to Jan20022005 Dec PSA began to rise from .5 to 8 within 6 monthsSalvage surgery at MSK 9/06Fistula operation 2/07 MSKMany cystoscopies and ER visits with stricturescatheter for one year....Catheter taken out Sept 07..Total Incontinence since then....PSA .52 3/07In line for AUS possibly in Sept 08

The attached article shows how some supplements interact with advanced cancer treatment drugs. While Capsaicin is still unstudied with Anti-Androgen drugs, (Lupron, Zoladex, Casodex, etc.) It is shown in this article to be harmful to chemotherapy treatment and cisplatin treatment. This would indicate that Capsaicin is to be avoided in advancing cases.